With the game all square at two and with arguably the best pitcher in the nation, Karlyn Pickens, in the circle, it appeared that she would continue her excellence and lock down the Florida offense.
But every dog has its day and that proved evident for the right-hander in the bottom of the third.
Redshirt freshman Townsen Thomas began the rally for Florida, laying down a bunt single and an error by UT catcher Elsa Morrison allowed her to advance to second.
That set the stage for junior Madison Walker and she came through clutch. The designated player lined a missile into left center, putting Florida on top 4-2. Walker has arguably had two of the biggest moments for the Gators this season after her walk-off against Missouri won them the series March 8th.
“Obviously, when you're facing a pitching staff as good as Tennessee's. Any ball you hit hard is gonna feel really good.” Walker said. “It was awesome to see how quick it got out.”
Immediately after, junior Cassidy McLellan launched a no-doubt longball that got out of Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium to further the margin 5-2.
The three runs were the most allowed by Pickens this season and the most since she allowed four in the Women’s College World Series against UCLA on June 1, 2025.
The back-to-back jacks propelled No. 5 Florida (30-2, 7-1 SEC) over No. 1 Tennessee (28-2, 6-2 SEC) 5-2 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in the annual yellow game for pediatric cancer. The announced attendance was 2,635, marking the fourth-highest crowd in history and the largest ever for a regular-season matchup.
Looking to threaten early, sophomore Taylor Shumaker led off the bottom of the first with a single to right. Senior Kenleigh Cahalan recorded her second hit of the weekend and junior Kendall Grover drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases for the Gators with one out.
However, Tennessee’s starter Erin Nuwer settled in and forced two groundouts respectively from redshirt freshman Townsen Thomas and junior Madison Walker to end the threat. It marks the second time in the series that UF has stranded the bases loaded.
The Lady Volunteers took advantage of the inability to score from the Gators immediately after. UT’s Alannah Leach was hit by a pitch and Morrison crushed her third homerun of the season to left center, putting the Lady Vols up 2-0.
In response, Florida forced Tennessee to make a call to the bullpen in the bottom of the second after Nuwer surrendered two walks to junior Ella Wesolowski and sophomore Gabi Comia.
Coming into the circle was none other than Pickens, fresh off her five-strikeout performance on Friday night.
Wesolowski advanced to third on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Shumaker and quickly came home on a wild pitch by Pickens, cutting the deficit to one. Tennessee’s second baseman, Ella Dodge, then committed her third error of the weekend on a ground ball by senior Jocelyn Erickson, allowing Shumaker to score from second, tying the contest.
The Gators utilized two pitchers in the victory. Katelynn “Red” Oxley made her fourth start of the season in the circle on Saturday and saw two innings of work. She complemented that with three strikeouts.
In relief, junior Olivia Miller was phenomenal and shut down the Lady Vols smoothly. In 4.1 innings of action, the southpaw ended the ballgame with three straight 1-2-3 innings to even the series.
“It means a lot to me and the only reason I'm able to excel is for me to have confidence in my team and my defense and I bet on them every single day,” Miller said.
The pivotal rubber match between the two powerhouses is set for Sunday. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Contact Zach Moore at zmoore@alligator.org. Follow him on X @zach_moore27.
Zach is a sophomore sports journalism student in his first semester at The Alligator, covering softball. He also has experience as an intern in the Florida Collegiate Summer League. Zach enjoys watching sports in his free time, primarily the Minnesota Vikings, Orlando Magic, and Arsenal FC.
